Please consider taking a few minutes to follow the URL, and donating a buck or two so we can raise #FoodAllergy awareness, and work towards a cure for Molly’s egg allergy and my shellfish/crustacean/mollusk/deathfish allergy. Our goal as a family is a measly $300 and we have $100 so far. I would be so grateful and proud if we could surpass that goal. Thank you for listening (reading), thank you for considering, & thank you in advance for any donations.

[Also: This involves no video-ing, no wasted water, and no whining about how not-helpful a viral campaign is even though it clearly worked. Good job #ALS people!]

I’ll tell you what, for all the customer service and food service that I do complain about… one place stands out as incredible. Every time I’m at a Five Guys Burgers and Fries no matter the location, they are fully staffed… everyone is doing a job & doing it quickly & efficiently with a rather pleasant look on their face. They communicate with each other quite well. The employees seem to be having fun while getting their job done, and they seem to take pride in what they do. I can only assume they pay much better than the average fast food joint, or just know how to delegate responsibilities evenly & know how to treat employees. I was in the one in Robinson when they got SLAMMED at lunch time today, and they put more people on registers, and worked down an ridiculously large amount of people in a short time. It helps that they only have burgers & the occasional hot dog as a menu item I’m sure, but it still is pretty impressive.

I’ll tell you what…

I should take a video of 10 minutes in a Five Guys and 10 minutes in this damn McDonald’s on West Liberty Ave. and compare how they’re run. McDonald’s employees are slow, confused, careless, and sometimes even slovenly. Five Guys employees seem to be the exact opposite on every front.

I’ve been to several locations, the Waterworks, Murrysville, Robinson, and Greensburg… and they’ve all been run with the same efficiency, pleasantness, and extreme cleanliness. I just think it ought to be said that it’s noticed by the customers, and they need to keep doing what they’re doing.

Of course, I’m very aware of food allergies, and peanuts are a big thing at Five Guys. This seems to get a bunch of flack, but they do take allergies seriously. The peanut-allergic have to accept it just like I accept that being allergic to shellfish, I’m not going to get a safe meal at Red Lobster. It’s OK. There are many many places to dine & choices to make. I’m glad that I have Five Guys as a choice. I’ve heard that they are excellent in handling a dairy allergy. Just check out the comments in the image above to the right. I see the allergy warnings on the door as a very responsible thing to do.

Even after all that… the burgers are just absolutely delicious. I tend to get a bacon cheeseburger with A1 and green peppers… sometimes even mushrooms. The french fries are almost as awesome as Kennywood’s Potato Patch fries, and that’s hard to do. The ingredients are always fresh, the burgers always cooked perfectly. One of these days I want to try a hot dog… but I can never get past the burgers. Maybe a little burger & a hot dog will have to do some day? I don’t even know if I can handle that. I’m glad I don’t live too close to one of these places, I’d be there way too often.

I hope to send a link to this to Five Guys, just to tell them that I appreciate what they’re doing, and to keep on doing it. Customers can see and appreciate that the employees are enjoying what they do, and doing it well. It does make a difference.

Like this:

Haven’t been blogging much lately, but I have a new job, am trying to get mazes done when I can, and I’ve been researching several potential purchases to help with said job online. I will no doubt get back to blogging once things level out.

I finally got my prescription renewed, & got a double-pack. Thankfully I’ve never had to jab myself with one. I did try the practice one a few times. So, what do you do with your expired ones? Does anyone take donations or recycle them?

I’m also always trying to figure out how to come up with cash to buy more goofy guitars, and Ernie and the Berts is writing more stuff & hoping to record ASAP. I try to catch other local & national shows when I can.

I thought you and readers of your blog might be interested in this story about an upcoming peanut-free baseball game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates can add another tally to the “win” column with a victory for fans with life-threatening peanut allergies when the team hosts its first-ever Allergy Awareness game at PNC Park on August 10, 2012. The game is sponsored by Mylan Specialty L.P.

Baseball games pose a significant challenge for many families living with life-threatening allergies, because many fan-favorite foods, including peanuts, can trigger anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. Food allergies are the most common cause of anaphylaxis and affect about one out of 13 children in the United States. Insect venom, latex and medication can also cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Fans with Life-Threatening Peanut Allergies Able to Enjoy Night Out Rooting
for Home Team

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are partnering with Mylan Specialty L.P., the fully-integrated specialty pharmaceutical business of Mylan Inc. (NASDAQ: MYL), to host the first-ever Pirates Allergy Awareness night at PNC Park on Friday, August 10. The Pirates will reserve a special area of the ballpark for those who have a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, the most common food allergen among children. The Pirates also will provide tips throughout the game to help their fans be more aware of life-threatening allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis.

“Life-threatening allergies are a growing public health problem, particularly among children and teens. In fact, a recent study shows as many as one in 13 children in the U.S. suffer from a food allergy,” said Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Inc. “We are proud to partner with our hometown team to help the people of Pittsburgh and their family members with life-threatening peanut allergies experience the fun and excitement of a night out at the ball park.”

Mylan Specialty L.P. is the official sponsor of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first Allergy Awareness night at PNC Park to take place at the August 10 game against the San Diego Padres. That night, like every Friday home game is a Free Shirt Friday, during which all fans get a complimentary Pirates T-Shirt, with paid admission. To purchase tickets in the peanut-controlled area for this game, please visit www.pirates.com/allergyawareness or call 1-800-BUY-BUCS.

“We are excited to work with Mylan to ensure increased awareness of this important issue, and to help provide a fun experience at PNC Park for our dedicated fans with life-threatening allergies,” said Pirates President Frank Coonelly. “Pirates baseball is one of the hottest tickets in town and we want to take steps to ensure all fans are able to enjoy the best ballpark in America.”

Throughout the evening, fans will be educated about life-threatening allergies. Because anaphylaxis can happen anywhere and at any time, it is important for everyone to be able to identify and avoid their allergic triggers, recognize anaphylaxis signs and symptoms, and understand how to act quickly and appropriately by seeking emergency care when a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs. In addition, Pirates coach Mark Strittmatter will present a 30-second video about the risks of life-threatening allergies, and encourage fans to visit www.MyAllergySurvey.com.

About Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction that has many possible triggers, occurs quickly, without warning, and should be treated immediately with epinephrine.Symptoms may include hives or redness of the skin, tightness in the throat, nausea, dizziness, breathing problems and/or a decrease in blood pressure. Anaphylaxis can be caused by triggers such as food, stinging and biting insects, medicines, latex or even exercise.The most common food allergens that can cause anaphylaxis include cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), fish, shellfish, soybeans and wheat. Epinephrine is the only first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. Epinephrine is a naturally-occurring hormone, also known as adrenaline, and it should be available at all times to patients at risk. Failure to administer epinephrine early in the course of treatment has been repeatedly implicated with anaphylaxis fatalities.

About Mylan SpecialtyMylan Specialty, a subsidiary of Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq: MYL), is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drug products for the treatment of respiratory diseases, life-threatening allergic reactions and psychiatric disorders. The company puts patients first and facilitates efficient, cost-effective partnerships with customers. For more information, please visit www.mylanspecialty.com.

About Mylan
Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in health care. Working together around the world to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine, we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service a habit, do what’s right, not what’s easy and impact the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing portfolio of more than 1,100 generic pharmaceuticals and several brand medications. In addition, we offer a wide range of antiretroviral therapies, upon which approximately one-third of HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries depend. We also operate one of the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers and currently market products in approximately 150 countries and territories. Our workforce of more than 18,000 people is dedicated to improving the customer experience and increasing pharmaceutical access to consumers around the world. But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself. See inside. mylan.com

SOURCE Mylan Inc.

Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Am I an official media outlet now? Ha ha. I will do my best to spread the word on my humble little corner of the internet. I really appreciate Matthew’s taking the time to pass this information along. I know other ball parks have done similar evenings. Raising awareness is at times an uphill battle, this is an incredible effort by The Pittsburgh Pirates & PNC Park.

So, how about a no shellfish night? Ah, I stick to Primanti Bros. inside the parks anyway.

You simply can’t put together a better list of resources, articles, tips, and fun related to food allergies. I suggest you read, subscribe, bookmark, or do whatever you do. Take the time to take a look at the stuff that interests you, and pass it along. We all know awareness is half (if not more) of the battle.

All of this reminds me, it’s time to get my Epi-pen prescription renewed…

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So, you know how I’m always saying I’d like a push from a consumer level rather than government regulations or mandates regarding food allergies? This is what I’m talking about:

On our first trip we asked one of the chefs why they do such a wonderful job accommodating food allergic children at Disney World, he said, “We want the repeat business.” It would be wonderful if other resorts would take this cue from Disney and realize that if they accommodate food allergic children and their families, we will return with pleasure and continue to be loyal customers.

A lot of people push for government recognition or regulation. I look for a consumer push, and recognition from the general populace. We can all agree that we need to convey the seriousness of cross-contamination with foods… at schools, in restaurants, at home… and everywhere.